


The Founders

by DWrites



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2018-11-30 13:30:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11464587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DWrites/pseuds/DWrites
Summary: A tale of friendship and how four young wizards and witches made their place in the world and started a school.





	1. 937 AD

The midwife hurriedly walked down the path, her cloak clutched around her. It was cold and the wind was so strong it made it hard to walk. She had been called for, and she knew she must go to help assist the birth. Snow crunched around her, too soft to be icy but too hard to melt. It was the dead of winter, and the howling wind did not let her forget it.

Eventually she made her way to the small cottage. She entered in and began to work. The woman’s daughters had surrounded her to make her comfortable. Currently, the youngest one was braiding back the mother’s hair into a long, dark plait. The chill outside crept in, yet with a fire going and a room full of people, it was hardly noticeable.

Since this was by no means the mother’s first child, the labor itself went by smoothly. As the baby girl was swaddled she opened her dark eyes. The mother smiled and held her child close to her breast. The father and her sons entered the cabin to meet their new member of the family. The first few lights of dawn entered the cottage and a soft breeze swept through the room.

***  
The snow had begun to melt, as the winter turned to spring. Flowers unraveled to the sun, and the whole world gradually woke up. A stream, so beautifully clear, was beginning to flow again after a long winter. A woman had gone to sit by the stream, her feet dangling in the water. She was exhausted, and in her arms she held her baby boy, born only hours prior to this moment.

The birth was difficult, and there were times when the midwives weren’t sure she or her son were going to make it. Her older sons and father were waiting nervously as she delivered her baby, another boy. The midwives advised her that this might be her last child. The woman looked down at her son again and his grey eyes. She smiled and kissed his forehead, and looked back into the depths of the stream.

***  
The days lengthened and grew hotter. So hot, that it was not uncommon to see passersby faint on the road. After witnessing this too many times, a husband had limited his heavily pregnant wife’s duties so she could rest. The husband had been outside, when he had heard her scream in pain. Running to get help, the midwives made it just in time to help deliver the baby.

They joked about how fast the birth was, how eager the baby was to come into this world. The baby boy, with green eyes and a face like his father’s, was restless in the arms of the midwives. He squirmed and moved around—not even his father could hold him. He eventually got tired and was laid in a cradle with a candle nearby. The baby turned to the flame and watch, mesmerized by the way the fire danced on the wick. 

***

The days began to shorten again and the land started to change colors. A woman, soon to give birth, was outside, kneeling on the dirt. She smiled and ran her fingers through the rich earth; it was dark and filled with important nutrients for growing food and flowers. She gave a gasp as a contraction hit. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She picked up a stick from the ground next to her and twirled it in her fingers. Another contraction occurred and she opened up her eyes. Currently she was alone and she figured she would rather give birth out here than stuck inside their home. 

The husband had gone out to chop down some trees. As he made his way back he saw his wife on the ground with another woman next to her. He broke out into a run as he realized she was giving birth. The other woman was an experienced mother who had heard her screams and gone to see what was the matter. Together they were able to bring a little girl into the world. Her blue eyes blinked up at the mother as the sun set, sending streaks of orange and pink across the sky and illuminating the earth below.


	2. Childhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four young Founders discover special abilities about themselves.

The first time little Rowena did magic she was able to send objects zooming towards her. When her parents saw this, they both sat her down and talked to her about what she was. 

“You’re a very special girl, Rowena,” her mother had said. “You’re a witch, like me.”

“What’s a witch?” Rowena had asked, staring intently at her mom.

“Someone with magical abilities,” her father cut in, “You and your mother and sisters are witches, while your brothers and I are wizards.”

“Now, you have to keep your abilities a secret, Rowena,” her mother spoke urgently, “people are scared of what they do not comprehend.”

Rowena nodded. “How did magic come to be?”

“I don’t know, Rowena,” her mother smiled sadly, “but you might be able to find that out. In a few years we can being schooling you—teaching you spells and charms.”

Rowena smiled at her parents brightly, “I can’t wait!”

The first time Rowena was enraged in a temper was when she found out where her brothers were going every day.

“School?!” She turned to her elder sisters, “you mean they’re learning about the world out there while we have to stay here and clean the house?!”

“Rowena, calm down!” one of her sisters snapped, “they’re just learning simple stuff. Like how to read and write.”

“Read... I want to learn how to read!” Rowena exclaimed. Her sisters laughed.

“Girls can’t go to school, stupid,” one of them replied.

“I’m not stupid!” Rowena stormed off, fuming. 

After sulking for a little bit, she came up with a plan. Grabbing fabric and sewing supplies, she was able to sew boy clothes for herself. She put them on and braided her hair up into an up do. She put a hat on and went to the river to view her reflection.

“Perfect,” she smiled softly. 

And that was the first day that Rowena went to school. She had to dress like a boy and went by Rowen, but she learned how to read and write. And as she learned, she craved more. There was always more knowledge to know, always something more to uncover about this world. And she was determined to learn as much as she could.

***

Salazar found he could talk to snakes at a young age. He was outside, playing by himself, when he heard a cry for help. Frowning, he looked around, and slowly made his way towards a clump of weeds.

Help, it called out feebly. 

Salazar knelt down next to the snake, “don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.” He made weird hissing noises, although he couldn’t explain how. Carefully, Salazar picked up the little snake and put him in his pocket.

Over the next few days, Salazar secretly cared for the snake. While he knew everyone in his family shared magic, like him, he also wasn’t sure if they could talk to snakes too. One day, at dinner, the snake remarked that the food smelled delicious. One of Salazar’s brothers looked up and frowned.

“Did anyone hear that hissing noise?”

“Be quiet and finish your food,” their father remarked, sternly. 

Salazar frowned. He had understood the snake fine. He went back to his dinner, feeling isolated. At least he had one friend, who was currently in his pocket.

***  
Helga was told at a young age about how dangerous it was to reveal her magic to anyone.

“You need to keep it a secret,” her mother warned her, “or they’ll be angry and try to hurt you. Understand?”

Secretly, Helga did not understand, but she nodded anyway. After that, she only did magic inside their home. She made things zoom around the room and she could make flowers bloom up from the floor. She would always present the flowers to someone, with a smile and a kiss. 

Soon, she was giving food to people, instead of flowers. There were many people wandering out on the streets, some were outcasts and some were travelers. While none came into their home, as Helga’s parents were anxious about strangers, Helga would venture out with a sack full of food to give to the people on the street. She made the food herself, and found she enjoyed cooking. She made loaves of bread that smelled so delicious that she made another one for her family to enjoy.

***  
Godric loved to run. He would run everywhere. And one time, he ran so fast, that he found himself at an unknown coast within minutes. He had no idea where he was, and didn’t realize he had accidentally used magic to run across the entire country quickly. 

He began to walk back home (he was assuming home was in this direction) and found himself taking shelter under trees during the night and begging for food. Somehow, he was able to hitch a ride on a wagon and eventually managed to navigate back to his home.

When he got back his parents were relieved beyond words to see him. They had been searching near and far, but Godric had gone farther. Sitting down with him, they talked to him about magic and how he must stay with his family to be safe. Godric nodded obediently, unsure of whether to express his desire to go back out into the world and really explore. For right now, he just enjoyed a nice meal and went to bed, dreaming about landscapes that went on forever and a large winged bird made out of fire flying through the night.


	3. Rowena and Helga

The meadow stretched out as far as the eye could see. Waves of grass contrasted beautifully with the clear skies above. The only disturbance in the scene was a dirt road cutting through the grass. Helga was currently lying amongst the grass, enjoying the day. She loved the feel of the sturdy ground underneath her, the dirt that clung to her skin. 

Smiling, Helga sat up. She cast a few cautious glances around her. She was completely alone. Helga then turned her attention to the few flowers that dotted the meadow. She raised her hand and the flower was plucked from the ground and floated gracefully to her hand. More flowers came up from the Earth and zoomed towards her. Helga raised her hand higher and the flowers began to form a twister around her, going higher and higher until she heard a voice behind her.

Alarmed, the flowers immediately dropped to the ground. Helga jumped up and turned to see a lanky boy with dark eyes standing before her. A few strands of black hair stuck out of his hat.

“You’re a witch,” his voice seemed forced, like he was concentrating on making it sound a certain way. “It’s okay, I have magical abilities too.”

“Do you?” Helga’s anxieties started to fade away.

The boy didn’t respond but the flowers on the ground came together to form a crown. Helga smiled and took the crown.

“That’s amazing! I’m Helga! What’s your name?”

“Ro—rowen,” he replied. “I was on my way to school. Are you sure it’s safe to be out here all alone?”

“Of course,” Helga smiled, “look how beautiful everything is.”

“Just because it’s beautiful doesn’t mean it’s beneficial,” Rowen said quietly. 

Helga frowned, “I guess not. Have fun in school!”

“Have fun with your flowers. And be more careful next time. I could see that twister when I was far off,” Rowen said, his voice urgent.

Helga nodded, “It was great to meet you. I hope we cross paths again.”

“Me too,” with that, Rowen continued his journey down the road. Helga grinned, placed the flower crown on her head, and started off towards her home.

Helga would meet up with Rowen many times as he went to school. One day, they just sat in the meadow and talked.

“I’m so glad we’re friends!” Helga said, “one can never have too many friends.”

Rowen took a deep breath, “since we’re friends, we have each other’s complete trust, no?”

Helga nodded earnestly, “Of course! I’ll take any secret to the grave!”

Rowen smiled and went he spoke next, his voice sounded more natural. “My name’s not actually Rowen. It’s Rowena. I’ve just been dressing like a boy and going by Rowen to go to school.”

“You’re very brave,” Helga said. 

Rowena laughed, “not brave, just desperate for knowledge.”

Helga nodded and then frowned in concentration for a few minutes, “…you can read and write, right?”

Rowena nodded.

“Do you think you can teach me?” Helga asked. “I feel like it could be very useful.”

“Oh, it is!” Rowena said. “I’ll bring by some books next time and we can get started.”

Helga grinned, “Thank you so much! Oh, I wish I had a secret to share with you, but my only one you already know.”

“You don’t have to share anything,” Rowena said, smiling.

Helga bit her lip as she gazed off, thinking. Then, her eyes widened with excitement. “I got it! Something I’ve never told anyone. Okay. . . so, a few months ago, I punched someone in the face.”

Rowena raised her eyebrows and surveyed Helga. Her blue eyes were bright and her red hair had been hastily drawn back. Her face was round and smiling and she was short and chubby. Not really the type of person to be violent.

“I think I would like to hear this story,” Rowena said.

Helga nodded solemnly. “So, I was down in the village, passing out food, when I noticed a group of children my age. Curious, I went over to see what was happening. In the middle of the group was a girl, crouched down and crying. The other children were all laughing at her and kicking her. She was, well, she was made a bit differently. But she was still living, and breathing with her own hopes and desires! So I told them all to leave, and they did. But there was this one that stayed, oh he was a terrible kid. He said she belonged in the dirt, and loads more hurtful things. I was shocked, but then the shock gave way to anger. And I snapped and punched him right in the mouth. He ran away and I made sure the girl was okay.”

Rowena surveyed Helga with new appreciation, “Remind me to never anger you.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I don’t anger easily,” Helga said. “Do you?”

“Anger easily?” Rowena frowned in consternation, “No, not really. I get annoyed easily, but there are not a lot of instances where I’ve experienced true anger.”

Gradually, the talk turned to magic and their families. The two girls talked until the sun touched the horizon.

“We both should go back before it’s dark,” Rowena said, getting up.

Helga nodded and stood up, “Bye, Rowena!” she gave her a big hug, and then went on her way.

Rowena smiled and headed back, happy to have made her first friend.


	4. Salazar and Godric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Salazar and Godric meet

Salazar walked down the road, by himself. He was used to doing things by himself. His older brothers never wanted to spend time with him. Really the only friend he seemed to have was his snake, whom he called Nathair. He clutched his satchel closer to him. In the front pouch was Nathair, who was currently peering around at the scenery. In his pocket was a very important object.

About a year ago, Salazar had been wandering around the woods, exploring. The trees were a strange color, red and black and twisted. He touched the bark, marveling at the feel underneath his fingertips. Salazar continued to wonder about the tree when a noise made him jump. Sparks went from his fingertips up through the tree and out the top.

Salazar paused, thinking hard. The bark was some sort of magic conductor. Salazar peeled a strip of bark off the tree and tried to get magic out of it. A few sparks shot out, but it wasn’t much more powerful than his normal magic.

His snake slithered around his feet, and Salazar glanced down at him.

“What trees are these?” Salazar asked him.

Snakewood, Nathair responded.

“Do you know of anything magical that can boost this power?” 

Nathair nodded and started slithering away. Salazar followed him through the woods and down a steep incline. At the bottom was a collection of bones. Salazar shifted through the mess, and then came upon a red and black horn like the bark of the trees.

A basilisk horn Nathair said. Salazar grinned, “Thanks.”

Salazar began to work on crafting his wand. With the horn as the core, the wand was powerful. And Salazar found that it not only responded well to his reflexes, but also seemed to respond when he spoke Parseltongue to it. It was a special wand, and it suited him well.

That wand was currently in his pocket. It was like a safety blanket to Salazar—with it he knew he could fend for himself. Of course, he needed some money too. Which is why he was headed to a tavern. While Salazar wasn’t too into gambling, he had a plan to get money so he could get out in the world.

Salazar entered the tavern. It was loud and hectic and smelled like beer and urine. He made his way to a game of dice and started the process. He used his magic to correctly roll the guessed number on the dice. It was working well, until the other man got suspicious and angry.

“Hey! You’re cheating, you!” He shouted in Salazar’s face. The man was twice the size of Salazar, in both height and weight.

Salazar flashed a quick grin, “Nah, I’m just lucky. If you really want your money back, you can continue to play for it.”

The man growled, “Listen, you cheated and you’re gonna pay!” He grabbed the front of Salazar’s shirt. At that, Nathair slithered out of the bag and hissed at that man.

The man gave out a scream of fear, “you some kind of witch, boy?”

“No . . . no,” Salazar gulped, and took a deep breath to clear his mind. He could get out of this. “Just a friend to animals.”

The man raised his fist threateningly when a shout came from behind him. A boy stood on top of the table, his red hair tied back and his green eyes blazing. He was tall with defined muscles, yet he couldn’t be older than Salazar.

The boy threw a mug at the man and started a full on brawl. He went right in the middle, punching and kicking whoever he could. Salazar stood up, grabbed his money and his bag, and quickly left the tavern, Nathair trailing behind him.

He had almost lost sight of the tavern when a voice called out to him.

“Hey, wait up!” the boy from the tavern ran towards him. He stopped when he got next to Salazar, panting heavily.

“You alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Salazar said, turning away.

“I’m Godric,” the boy shoved his hand at Salazar.

“Salazar,” he said as he kept walking, his hands in his pocket.

“Cool,” Godric grinned and ruffled his hair, “Man, I love a good fight. Really gets my blood pumping.”

Salazar sighed, “Do you need something?”

“Yeah, I was gonna say you’re lucky they were all drunk and won’t remember this tomorrow,” Godric said. “Doing magic in public is risky. It’s fun, but it sure is risky.”

Salazar glanced at him, “I know what I’m doing. And I had back-up.”

“Your little snake?” Godric asked, earning a hiss from Nathair.

“No, this,” Salazar took his wand out of his pocket, “it can conduct powerful magic.”

“Can I hold it?” Godric asked.

“No, it only responds to me,” Salazar said, which was more or less true. He didn’t really want to let anyone else try his wand.

“Did you make that yourself?” Godric asked.

Salazar nodded.

“Can you make me one?”

Salazar contemplated this. “Why should I?”

“Cause I saved you from exposure to the muggle world? And it’s not like I’m gonna use it on you, I just want to do some better magic,” Godric said, “besides, isn’t it helpful to have an ally with you?”

“If they’re weaker than me, no,” Salazar said.

Godric laughed, “Good thing I’m stronger than you.”

Salazar sighed, “You’re annoying.”

“Well, so are you,” Godric said. “So, wand?”

“If a make you a wand will you quit annoying me?” Salazar asked, his temper rising.

“Yep!” Godric grinned again.

“Fine, but I’ll need to make it from different ingredients than mine,” Salazar said.

Godric nodded, “seems fair enough.”

Later, Salazar went to working making Godric a wand. He consulted some books (he had had enough schooling to know how to read and write) and decided on ebony as the wood. For the core, he had a dragon heartstring. Once the wand was finished, he presented it to Godric.

“Wow! Amazing!” Godric slashed the air with the wand and flames erupted from the end. 

“Easy, there,” Salazar quickly dodged the flames. “I made it from ebony, which is well suited to combat and Transfiguration. I used dragon heartstring as the core because it seemed fitting.”

“Awesome! Thanks so much!” Godric grinned, “Bye, it was nice knowing you.”

“You’re leaving?” Salazar said, feeling strangely sad.

“Got things to do, places to explore,” Godric shrugged, “and I did say I’ll stop bothering you if you made me a wand.”

“Thing is, you’ll need a clear head like mine around,” Salazar said. “So really, I should go with you. To make sure you don’t break that wand.”

“Sounds good,” Godric grinned, “get your stuff, we go at once!”

Salazar nodded and grabbed his sack and some food. He felt a thrill go through him. He was finally getting out.


	5. The Meeting

“Where did you get that?!”

Salazar ignored the question as he hastily stowed his wand away. Godric still had his out. They had been riding their horses through a field when they had heard a noise that sounded magical.

“Never you mind,” Salazar spoke, glaring at the girl in front of him. She was slightly taller than him and her black hair was tied up neatly.

“You’re both wizards,” she said. “Me and my friend are witches. We’re all the same. I would like to know where you got that—”

“—wand—” Salazar supplied.

“—so I may acquire one as well.” 

“He made it,” Godric said, grinning. “Pretty great, no?”

Salazar side-eyed Godric. “I’m not making one for you, so don’t bother asking.”

“Why not?” her friend with the crazy red hair asked. 

“Because it takes time and effort,” Salazar said, “and if I start making wands for everyone that asks for one, then I’m basically making them for the entire wizarding world.”

“You just don’t want anyone to be better at sorcery than you,” the girl with the dark hair narrowed her eyes.

Salazar scoffed, “Please, even if everyone one in the whole wizarding world had a wand, I would still be on top.” Annoyed at this rude girl, he turned to her much more cheerful friend, “I’ll make you a wand.”

“Oh thank you!” Her face lit up for a second. “But why won’t you make one for my friend? She deserves one too.”

“Because, Helga,” her friend said, “He doesn’t want more people getting powerful.”

“How ‘bout a duel, then?” Godric said, grinning. “Us two versus you two. We win, you two leave us be. You win, Sal here will make wands for both of you.”

“Deal—”

“Wait Rowena!” Helga said. “A lot can go wrong in a duel. We shouldn’t.”

“Fine,” Rowena turned to leave and then paused. “Come on.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was your follower,” Helga said, her hands on her hip.

Salazar laughed, “I’m definitely going to make you a wand. And I’ll make your annoying friend a wand too if I have never had to see her again.”

Rowena smiled sweetly, “Deal.”

Salazar started on Helga’s wand first. He decided on alder wood, as it was best for likeable, agreeable people. He then added a unicorn hair to it, thinking that it fit the small, but kind girl.

When he went to Rowena’s wand, he couldn’t decide on the wand wood. He looked at vine, rowan, and pine, but eventually choose walnut, thinking it would suit her best. For the core, he added a phoenix feather.

Both of the girls were amazed at their wands. Rowena kept her face blank, but her eyes were shining as she examined her wand. Helga did not even try to contain her excitement at the wand before her.

“Thank you!” Helga gave Salazar a big hug, who reluctantly accepted it.

Godric glanced at Salazar, “We should be off now.”

“Where are you going?” Rowena said, looking up from her wand.

“Traveling,” Salazar replied curtly.

“By yourselves?” Helga asked, her hand over her mouth. 

Rowena looked at the two boys, “You’re both young.”

“So are you,” Godric said.

“Well, we’re not traveling, are we?” Rowena retorted.

Helga sighed, “It’ll be fun to travel, but we can’t leave home yet.”

“I thought you two would want to get out before you were married off to some ugly muggle,” Salazar said.

“Yes, well, once we’re seventeen, I think we would go out into the world for a bit,” Rowena said.

“We can all go together once we’re seventeen,” Godric said. “It’ll be good.”

Helga frowned, “That’s so far away.”

“We can meet up every week,” Godric said. “Catch up, see who’s better at magic.”

“Just you wait,” Rowena replied.

Salazar sighed, “I suppose we’ll see each other again next week.”

“Can’t wait,” Rowena said drily.

Helga bade them farewell, and the two boys headed off.


	6. Flash Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four friends are grown up and off exploring the world

“Come on, Row!” Helga shouted behind her. The four of them were riding their horses through a meadow, when Godric decided to start a race.

Salazar started racing after him, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Helga started racing too, laughing with glee. Only Rowena stayed behind, watching her friends go ahead. She finally caught up to them by a lake.

“You lose,” Godric grinned.

“We’re adults, now,” Rowena pointed out. “And besides, we’re off to explore the world, remember?”

“We can have fun and explore the world,” Helga said. 

Rowena hmphed and sat down, pulling out her journal. She began to write in silence. Salazar sat down next to her while Helga and Godric went swimming in the lake.

“So, what’s the plan going forward?” Salazar asked.

Rowena paused in her writing, “I guess just travel.”

“The great Rowena doesn’t have a plan?”

“Sometimes the creation of a plan in itself is folly.”

With that, Salazar laughed loudly, and stretched out on the ground.

“Well, I’m glad you came to remind us of the follies,” he said.

“A chance to go adventure, when I was expected to stay home? Easy choice.” Rowena looked at him. “Why did you choose to come?”

Salazar shrugged, “I guess I’d rather spend time with you guys. My father is already disappointed in me, so going out to the world really won’t change everything.”

“I’m sure that’s not true, Sal. Your father loves you, in his own way.”

Salazar didn’t say anything, he just observed the sky above. The two of them sat in silence until Salazar spoke again.

“Where we can find emeralds?”

“They’re mined far in the south,” Rowena answered. “Why?”

“One time, my father came home from his travels with a ring that had a deep green jewel in it for my mother. It was an emerald, and she loved it. I want to get her another one.”

Rowena smiled and opened her mouth, but before she could speak, there was a scream from the lake.

Rowena and Salazar shot up and drew out their wands. Helga was panicking, and Godric was nowhere to be found.

“Something grabbed him!” She cried out. Helga started diving down in the water to find Godric, and was soon joined by Rowena and Salazar.

There was a small creature with long fingers wrapped around Godric’s ankle. It was pale green and had horns. 

Salazar lifted up his wand, but Rowena grabbed his arm and shook her head. He could easily miss and hit Godric.

The long, green fingers that encircled Godric’s ankle were strong, but thin. Salazar wrapped his fingers around the creature’s and jerked on them. The fingers snapped easily, and Godric was able to kick the creature away.

Back on the surface of the lake, Godric lied down and closed his eyes. Rowena hurriedly wrote in her notebook as Salazar and Helga surveyed their friends.

“Nice job,” Helga said to Salazar, smiling.

Salazar said nothing, but just gave her a wry grin.


End file.
